THE idea of scoring the winning goal at Wembley has crossed Conor Bradley’s mind several times in the build-up to the big game against Plymouth – but then the professionalism kicks in.

Still not out of his teens, the Liverpool defender could be forgiven a few daydreams on the team bus to the stadium on Sunday, a chance to indulge a footballing fantasy or two before the serious business begins.

But, as Bolton fans have recognised for most of the season, Bradley is not your average youngster who might find the bright lights and cameras of a major final intimidating.

Fresh from two Euro 2024 qualifiers for Northern Ireland which took his number of caps to a dozen, the 19-year-old has already racked up 50 appearances for club and country this season.

If he scores in his 51st then all well and good… But Bradley has his eye on the prize.

“I’d love to score a goal but as long as we win, I couldn’t care less who scores,” he told The Bolton News.

“Of course, to score at Wembley would be unbelievable, and to celebrate in front of all the fans. But I’ll take what I can get, and I just want the win.

“Dreaming doesn’t help you. We have got to get a job done. You have to go out and prove it, and Plymouth will be a tough game but we know if we go down there and give it our best we can get a result.”

Bradley reckons the Papa Johns Trophy final will be the biggest game of his club career to date, the most pressured coming in the semi-final against Accrington Stanley in February.

Even though the youngster had sampled Champions League football for Jurgen Klopp’s Reds and been involved in the first team picture at Anfield, he admits the game at the Wham Stadium was unlikely any other.

“Winning the semi-final was a different experience for me, being with a first team, it was all about the win,” he said. “We scored a couple of good goals and just found a way through to the final, so it was a great moment for me.

“When I came here the main objective was to get promotion and to win a trophy, so if we could, now we are so close, everyone is buzzing and we’ll be trying to get a win.”